Once, Sometimes, and Maybe
by Yakin-Duel
Summary: YzakFrey, onesided FreyKira. a look at what might have been.
1. Hate At First Sight

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gundam Seed. (though like every other fanatic on the face of this Earth, I wish I did.)

**P.R. (Pointless Ramblings): **Honest, you all can skip this part if you want to, it is, very pointless, if I do say so myself. While this is my first time posting something, I've actually been writing fanfics for a long time now. And I have no idea why I'm posting something pro-Frey, but yeah…

And yes, I do realize that this isn't the most popular pairing but they're really easy to write, at least for me. If you want to flame, go ahead, but please be civil.

&-&-&

The cherry-haired girl was huddled in one corner, wedged somewhat awkwardly between his supervisor's desk and the larger-than-average wastebasket that Captain Rau Le Klueze had kept in his office ever since day one. Her arms were squeezed tightly around her bare knees, as if that alone could make her disappear. She gave a slight whimper when she saw him, perhaps of fear; but Yzak pointedly ignored her and snapped a quick salute in the direction of his masked commander.

"…Captain Klueze, you…sent for me." The sentence was originally a statement, but the sudden rise in cadence at the endmade it a question.

"Yes, I did." Klueze nodded cordially in return, "Have a seat, Yzak." He waved a hand at the startling array of armchairs lined up along one wall, "I'm afraid there is still one little thing I have to take care of before we go into details regarding your next assignment--"

On cue, a rather flustered private (Yzak could tell that he was a private because most privates had the habit of turning their collars the other way) tripped into the room, he instinctively grabbed the nearest chair for support. "…My—my deepest apologies, Captain, but I was—I was…err, um, eating and…"

"Never mind that. It is just as well that you have come." Klueze's lips, much more accustomed to the position of a sneer, managed a small half-smile. "You are armed—as I requested?"

"Well…" the boy flushed and looked down at his shoes, "I don't exactly have my gun on me at the moment…but I do have a knife. Will that do, sir?"

"It will do nicely." The captain confirmed, "Now, I must ask you to escort Miss Allster outside, stay in the corridor, and do not, under no circumstances, do not let her out of your sight, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir, I understand, sir." The private bobbed his head eagerly, the girl's shoulders stiffened visibly, Yzak was suddenly annoyed by both of them for no apparent reason. The other boy led her out of the room and he turned his attention back on Klueze.

After a decent interval silence, Klueze leaned forward on his elbows, "I don't want you to think of this assignment as just guarding a hostage. In fact, I know it will be hard for you, but for the time being, think of her as your guest. She, well, rather, her father, George Allster was a prominent figure in the Earth's Alliance before his ship was blown up. Her name is Frey. The archives don't say much about her, the researchers have been digging for three days thus far, so I'll expect reports on a weekly basis."

This seemed to Yzak an absurd mission, one designed to kill time, at best, so why was he being assigned? His time was better spent making sorties. Still, he wasn't about to argue, it was too simple, and he did want to kill some time.

"Yzak, this assignment may be simple enough on the surface, but it may be otherwise once you get through the dirt." Klueze answered his unspoken query without looking at him, "And you will be interested to hear of her adventures aboard the 'legged ship.' I'll be counting on you, Yzak."

The 'legged ship' meant the Archangel, the Archangel meant STRIKE, and STRIKE meant…Yzak got up slowly and snapped another departing salute, "I understand, sir." This assignment wasn't going to be that boring after all.

&-&-&

Judging by what he knew of the nameless private, which was preciously short of nothing, Yzak had almost expected this to happen. The other boy looked unconscious and the girl was nowhere in sight. The private's knife was also nowhere to be seen. "Where the hell did she go?" he demanded between gritted teeth. "Tell me, damn it!"

"She—she went…" the private's head jerked painfully in the direction of the control quarters, "…that way…please, Yzak-san, sir, don't hurt her too much…she's beautiful…so beautiful…"

Yzak could certainly guess what had happened next, kicking the other swiftly in the stomach; he stepped over the limp form in disgust. He didn't give a damn as to whether the girl was good-looking, she was a hostage, and that was all that he needed to know; at least, for the moment.

Yzak was one of the more higher-classed officers of the ship, and therefore had free access to the control quarters, so naturally he knew it well. It was constructed like a maze, mostly full of dead ends, except for every seventh right turn.

He found her easily enough, trembling at the end of the ninth turn. She turned with unexpected agility at his presence, "You…no—don't come!" the command was coated thickly with hysteria. The girl held the knife out, as if it was a magical talisman of some sort, "I…I—I said don't come! I-I-I have this!"

Yzak could not resist the sarcasm that crept into his voice; he folded his arms and stared at her in undisguised revulsion. "That is called a knife." He said , feeling his color rise, "It is a weapon of close combat, unless you know how to use it, it will be no use to you. Give it to me."

"No!" she shook her head wildly, "You'll…"

"Fine." Yzak snapped, his paper-thin patience already stretched past its limit, "Find your own way out of the damned thing then. If you starve here, it's not my problem." He turned to go, "Or, other people will find you here. They'll kill you." Sugarcoating things really wasn't his strong point.

He felt a sharp tug at his arm, the knife had dropped a few feet away and now she was clinging to him. "No…no…all right…" her words came in nervous hiccups, "I'll…"

Yzak shrugged her off roughly, "Let go of me," he bent and picked up the knife, "Just for the record, I do know how to use a knife." He twirled the weapon aimlessly between his fingers, "Keep that in mind. Let's go."

His first report was already forming:

_Captain Klueze, sir, to be quite frank, she's an absolute pain in the ass, spoiled to the last degree, and, she is directionally challenged, nonsensically inept with a knife, and perhaps also her sanity is very muchquestionable… _

&-&-&

The silver-haired boy said very little, yet actions spoke louder than words, and one didn't need to be a genius to figure out that he hated his newest duty. Frey was positive that it was not her he hated, personally, but more accurately, the world that she represented. The world of Naturals.

Whatever the case, she could agree wholeheartedly that the emotions were mutual, however, regardless of how she felt, he was the closest thing to a friend she had on the ship. Eavesdropping outside the door a few hours earlier had told her virtually nothing, except the guy was expected to give weekly reports, and that he was supposed to keep her in check.

Well, if Frey had anything to say about that, it should've been the other way around. But now, as she looked around the makeshift cafeteria, she saw strange eyes, hostile glances, everything needed to tell her that she was an unwelcome hostage aboard this ship. She certainly wasn't in any position to think that.

"Would you just move?" he came up beside her, balancing his dinner tray precariously on his fingertips. "People think you're strange enough as it is."

She almost threw her soup on him; after all, it was still hot enough to do sufficient damage. However, in her hesitation, he had already stalked off to a corner table, and it was probably better to keep a low profile anyway.

As Frey discreetly slid into the seat next to him, he did not look up. Andthat was whenshe realized that she stilldid not know his name, "Hey, err…" her voice was too high, it seemed, and it squeaked, "What's your name?"

He reached for his cup of water, still refusing to meet her gaze, "Yzak Joule."


	2. Getting Settled

**Disclaimer: **Bleh, I don't own Gundam Seed, sorry for such a boring disclaimer, I'm to lazy to think of anything original right now…

**P.R. No. 2**: Wow…I must say I'm really surprised, I got reviews…thank you all for your encouragement and (wait, that sounded cheesy… ) but oh well, have a good read and all the rest of that.

&-&-&

_Kira_. The name came flooding back to her in a wave of almost nauseating emotion. Frey stared at the dry piece of celery in hand, suddenly not hungry anymore; she stood up and pushed her tray aside, otherwise untouched.

"…Yzak-san." Frey supposed calling him 'Mr. Joules', would be more proper, under the circumstances, but even for an enemy, she could not manage anything so formal, especially to someone her own age (give or take a year or two). "Can you please give me directions back to my room? I am feeling kind of sick."

Yzak looked up, his spoonful of soup paused halfway to his lips, "No, I suggest you eat," he said stiffly by the way of refusal. " 'Snack breaks' are unheard of on this ship, unlike the 'legged ship', where conduct is undoubtedly more lax, Allster." He all but spat out her name, as if it was poison. "And even if I did give you directions, you'd get lost."

There were a million retorts that she would have liked to snap to put him in his place; even if she was, a hostage, she was, after all, still a girl. Though Frey obediently sat down again and forced herself to eat, no matter how rude he was, no matter how she hated to admit it, Yzak was right.

_Kira_. The name came back once more, this time surging with regret, it must be mealtime on the Archangel too…she vaguely wondered if Kira had eaten. Was he missing her? He would never treat hostages like this...

Yzak watched her efforts with the same vigilant glare he used to watch everything else. When she had emptied her bowl of soup and eaten a half piece of toast, he got to his feet, only mildly satisfied, after all, he was the one that would take the blame if she turned out malnourished. "I will show you to your quarters now."

Then Yzak froze as he finally became fully conscious of where the prisoner's lodgings were to be. Captain Klueze, during the assignment's briefing, had said nothing of her accommodation arrangements. The closest instruction he had received regarding the subject was: "_I want you to think of her as your guest." _

His room. _His room. _

God help him. He was expected to share his quarters with a **hostage**. A..._girl_ hostage, at that. No doubt Dearka would have liked that. But unfortunately, Dearka wasn't here. His former roommate and friend was currently on the MIA, along with the two other elites who had once made up the Klueze Squadron. Well, with the obviousexception of Nicol, of course;who was dead.

Yzak shook himself, grieving (if you could call it that) accomplished nothing. He had much more important things to attend to for the present. He turned and left the cafeteria, not looking back to see if the prisoner was behind him. It was her problem if she didn't pay attention and keep up.

&-&-&

When the metal door slid open. Frey was partially expecting him to shove her in a prisoner's cell, metal bunk, iron bars and all, and lock her in for the rest of the night, out of the way. His way, in particular.

Instead, she found himself staring into a room, not so much unlike the one she had occupied on the Archangel. Save that, in the place of the bunk, there were two cots side by side. The mattresses looked very soft. "…Am I to have a roommate, or something?" she asked after a pause. Then the crazy thoughts started taking over, maybe Kira had been captured too, somehow, or maybe Sai and they could…

The glare cut her off, and Frey's eyes trailed down to her shoes, wishing fervently that she had not asked. Yzak pointed to an expensive-looking suitcase next to the dresser. "You will find suitable attire in there, plus certain necessities. The shower stalls are down the hall, as are the restrooms." He recited woodenly, arms crossed.

"…Thank you." Frey said awkwardly after he had finished. When she noticed that he made no move to leave, she added, "Erm, you can leave now, Yzak-san. I swear I won't run off." She gave a nervous laugh that conveyed absolutely no tact. Why was she feeling like such an idiot, especially in front of _this_ boy? "Really, I mean."

"You--" Yzak very nearly hit her, yet only the thin threads of his commander's orders held him back, he lowered his hand. He could not, for the life of him, figure out if the prisoner was merely playing dumb to get on his nerves, (if that was the case, then she was doing a very good job) or if she really was, that stupid. His bet was moreon the former.

He decided that it was time to set the record straight, drawing out the private's knife from earlier, Yzak advanced toward her until the hostage was adequately cornered. Helpless, as a model hostage should be. "Allster, I couldn't care less about who you were, I don't give a damn if your old man was a so-calledprominent figure of the Earth Alliance. You are adamn prisoner on this ship, and therefore, I expect you to start acting like one, particularly when you're in _my_ quarters."

Now she looked as if he had really slapped her, her face deathly pale, submissive. "I…I…I'm sorry, Yzak-san…I…didn't know…" he noticed that the hiccups returned with her mood swings.

For an instant, dark gray-blue met cerulean ice, and Yzak felt almost guilty. He quickly turned away.

&-&-&

Over the years, Yzak had grown used to having Dearka's world-class snores lull him to sleep, not that he would ever admit it. Sleeping alone wasn't so bad either; at least he had peace and quiet. But with a prisoner in the room, the whole setting was suddenly foreign.

Unsuspecting. Helpless, downright annoying, yet labeled dangerous. Yzak glanced over at her unmoving form and straightened himself with new resolve. He supposed it could have been worse.

"Hey, um…Yzak-san?"

…It just got worse.

Yzak decided right then that he hated the way she said his name. He couldn't explain why, of course, but still. "Yes?"

There was a long pause before she said, rather timidly, "…Um…I'm, I'm kind of cold, is there, like, an extra blanket or something?"

_Women_, was the first thought that came to mind. He instinctively clutched his own blanket closer, though it really was a warm night and he had no need for it; Yzak had no intention of surrendering to a captive. However, from what he knew of women, they kept on and on and on until they got what they wanted. And while he didn't want to yield his blanket, he definitely wasn't in the mood to listen to her bitching the rest of the night.

"Take mine," he flung the cover in the general direction of the other cot, "Now just shut the hell up and go to sleep."

She didn't say anything else after that, nevertheless, it still took Yzak a long time to go to sleep.


	3. Interogation

**Disclaimer: **Get a clue, don't own, don't sue (don't kill me for the super lame rhyme either, thank you very much)

**P.R. no 3: **Wow, whaddaya know, third chappie already. Huggles to all reviewers D. But as chapter three is really kind of my bad luck chapter so, don't be surprised if it sucks. As always, comments/criticism all welcome, I love them all! XD.

And I took some liberties with Frey's background in this chapter, just to let you know.

&-&-&

Frey vaguely remembered that the arms that wrapped around her body were warm, that the lips that always claimed her for his own, were gentle, that the words spoken as they became one meant nothing in context, yet everything in essence.

_Frey. Oh, Frey, please…_

…_Come. _

Buried in him, she saw his heart in its rawest form, his passions, his desires, however dark, and worst of all, the scars. And it had hurt, it had hurt more than she had ever imagined. The scars that she had carved there in her love for him by her own hand.

She could feel him slipping from her grasp, as he had done many times before. He brushed a final kiss lightly against her forehead and…

_I'm sorry, Frey…I have to go now. _

He never had to beg, but she did, always, for him to stay. Never once. Not even once.

_Oh, Kira, Kira…I'm so sorry. _

&-&-&

With her son not quite eighteen, Councilwoman Ezaria Joule (more informally known as Yzak's mother) was a staunch supporter against underage drinking. Unfortunately, in her eyes; along with vodka and beer, 'drinks' also included anything with caffeine, for example: coffee, tea, coke, and the like.

Yzak did not mind this much, or, it might be more accurate to say that he had not minded, until today. He had gone to sleep sometime around midnight, and woke a mere four hours after.

Unable to return to sleep after he had woke, he had sat on his cot clutching the private's knife and stared across the room at the hostage with the most cold-blooded glare he could muster.

And now here he was, expected to pass the day on adrenaline alone while he could scarcely keep his eyes open. On top of that, he was still expected to put up with _her _all day. Yzak honestly could feel his hair graying, not that it would actually matter but…

"Kira…please, don't leave…not yet…please!"

Yzak started momentarily at the sound of her voice, but eventually relaxed; they (namelypeople with common sense and experts)said psychopaths talked in their sleep and she was obviously of no exception.

"I…I promise I won't do it again. Kira! I need you, really! Please…"

Suddenly, arguing with his mother over one cup of coffee seemed less than trivial compared to listening to half-conscious rants. If he was discreet about it, no one would say anything. Yzak stood up and slipped unnoticed out of the room.

&-&-&

"…Pardon me, Miss Allster, but I noticed the door was unlocked so I let myself in." a hand touched her shoulder gently.

Frey jerked up awkwardly in the cot, thinking that Yzak had somehow had a change of heart, however improbable that would be, but instead, she stared up at the weather-beaten face of the private she had bested the day before. "What do _you_ want?" she demanded, her tone at its snippiest, when she recognized him. "You woke me up you know."

"My deepest apologies, but actually, I have to go on a sortie soon…" he blushed and concentrated on the freshly waxed tiles instead, it was clear that these rooms belonged to an Elite. "…And I was wondering if I could, err, get my knife back."

It was only yesterday, when Yzak had openly threatened her with the knife, Frey had not seen it since, nor did she have any desire to, "I think Yzak took it." This time her voice was airy, Frey really couldn't care less.

"…Yzak?" He was taken temporarily off-guard, no one referred to an Elite with such familiarity. "…Do you know where I might find him, Miss Allster?"

"--And I should have also added that there will be absolutely no entertaining the opposite gender in my quarters, Allster. Forgive me for trusting you, after all, you're only a natural."

They both froze simultaneously; the first thought that flashed across Frey's mind was_ 'Oh shit'_. She didn't know what the crimson-faced private was thinking, though it was probably something along those lines.

Setting his half-cup of coffee down on top of the dresser, Yzak grabbed the shock-stricken boy by his collar, "Perhaps I'm wrong in saying that it was the prisoner's fault, I am, however, prepared to take the chances. But whatever the circumstances, I will have you also personally escorted off this ship if I ever see you here in my quarters again. Understand?"

What little color left on his nameless subordinate's face drained, "I'm-I'm really very, uh, s-s-sorry but I was just—I--"

Yzak's go-to-hell expression left no room for argument. The private gave a sort of high-pitched whine and shot out of the room like a bullet, his sentence wisely unfinished.

"You know, Yzak-san, he wasn't doing anything to me," Frey offered quietly, breaking the thickening tension that was getting to be unbearable, "He just, uh, wanted his knife back, you know, the one that you took yesterday…"

The full-throttled glare was upon her again; she flinched, but did not look away, which was a first. Yzak said, "You have no right to speak right now. By all rights, your remains should be floating among the debris outside. I suggest you shut up."

Frey bit her tongue so hard that she tasted blood. "You bastard."

"I have some questions for you," he continued on as if he had not heard, "Should you decide to lie, or not answer, I will kill you." he said this as if it happened every day, but then, Frey reminded herself, he was a Coordinator, and on top of that, a soldier of ZAFT.

She forced herself to nod, only because she had no choice. "Yes," Frey longed to spit, "I understand."

At this, he seemed satisfied. "What's your full name?"

"Frey Elizabeth Allster."

"Age?"

"15."

"Birthplace?"

"Heliopolis."

Yzak had neither pen nor notepad, but he was fairly confident that he would remember it all. He inclined his head slightly, filing the information away for future reference. "Any siblings?"

"No, none." Frey began to feel a tiniest bit hopeful, if the questions were like this, she didn't have to give anything important away, like the whereabouts of the Archangel, her father or Kira…

"Why did you enlist on the Archangel? I'm sure your old man would have preferred other habits for his only little girl." The emphases on the last two words were not tasteful.

"…I enlisted because…" at the mention of her former vessel, Frey cringed accordingly, "Daddy died…"

Yzak couldn't resist a sneer, if he kept this up, he'd be like Captain Klueze in no time. "So your old man blew up, and you flee on the ship for protection. How noble. And exactly what did you do in the 'legged ship'? Did you seduce all the pilots looking for pity? I'm sure STRIKE especially--"

"Don't talk about Kira that way!" She exploded.

"Kira?" Yzak raised an almost amused eyebrow, his lips curled intoa triumphant sneer, at the same time though, it was also full of pity. "Oh, yes. The guy that you called out for. The guy that you _needed_." Still smirking, he rose and headed for the door; "But then again, Allster, I suppose he can't help but pity you. No one can save you now, not even the almighty STRIKE."


	4. Love Thy Enemy

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Seed

**P.R. no 4:** I have to admit, this is not the best chapter I've come up with, but in my opinion, it was better than 'Interrogation', and I had lots of fun writing Yzak torture, so…all is good with the world…hehe. Have a good read.

&-&-&

Since the forced interrogation three days ago, Yzak had taken to ignoring the hostage, and she likewise. So needless to say, he had preciously little information to relay to his superior.

Yzak finished with, "The prisoner claims to have joined the crew of the 'legged ship' in hopes of avenging her father's death." He slid his gaze down to the white marble floor and braced himself for the worse.

To his genuine surprise and relief, Captain Klueze did not look particularly angry, in fact quite the opposite, he appeared rather amused, "Revenge, is it?" he popped a blue-and-white pill into his mouth, followed by a long swallow of whatever before continuing, "To be quite honest, I hadn't thought that Miss Allster had such ambitions."

"…Yes, sir." Since there was nothing else to be said.

"Did she tell you anything else regarding the Archangel or its mechanics?"

Yzak disliked lying, sure, he had told his share of white lies when the situation called for it (more often than not with Dearka as his accomplice), but this… "No, Captain, she told me nothing else." The words slipped too easily from his mouth before he could stop them, "Well, I mean, that's--"

"I should have expected as much, considering the circumstances…" Still, Kleuze seemed to believe him, and for once, the masked man wore neither smirk nor sneer as a sudden silence covered the room like a heavy veil.

When Yzak could no longer stand the suspense, he prompted quietly, although he knew that the gesture could well cause him a reprimand, "…Sir?"

In answer, Klueze got abruptly to his feet and instantly started sneering again, but his tone was almost fatherly, "Yzak, I am going to give you a new assignment, you will probably despise it with your heart and soul, at best,but trust me, this mission is absolutely crucial."

Yzak was not an inexperienced Elite, and to this day, he had never 'despised an assignment with the heart and soul.' The bodyguard business came very close, but not close enough.

"Yzak, as of today, I want you to become Frey Allster's lover." The infamous smirk seemed to widen with every syllable. "That sounds appalling, I know, and I apologize." Klueze certainly didn't sound apologetic. "But we are running out of time, and there is no one else I can trust. When she tells you enough, go ahead and depose of her."

If it weren't for the last part, Yzak would have grabbed the nearest sharp object available and killed himself right then and there. Even with the promise that he had the permission to do away with the hostage after she had served her purpose, didn't make the days ahead any more appetizing.

For the first time in his militant career, Yzak thought about throttling his commanding officer. The military court business he could handle, however, he really wasn't sure about what his mother would think…

So he did chose the only option left to him. Yzak squared his shoulders and nodded in confirmation. "Yes, Captain, I understand."

"Very well then, you're dismissed, Yzak." Kleuze nodded

"Thank you, sir." _Damn you, sir. _

As he walked away from the airless cubicle that served as Klueze's office, Yzak could have sworn he had heard maniacal laughter resonating from the other side of the wall.

&-&-&

The silent treatment suited Frey just fine. But, even she had to admit; it was getting to be a bit lonesome, trapped in a makeshift hotel suite for three days with no one to talk to. Even if it was, a hotel suite.

She lay crossways on her cot, wearing one of the ZAFT uniforms that she had found inside the suitcase, with buttons of the blouse undone, with her pastel pink tank top peeking through. Even like this, it barely gave her enough air. Just goes to show how manmade oxygen could never beat the real thing.

Ironically, Frey's drifting thoughts finally landed on Lacus Clyne. The ever-smiling pink-haired Coordinator had been a hostage of the Archangel's a few months back. And the similarities ended there.

Whereas Frey was kept under lock and key, Lacus was free to roam and stir things up as she pleased, all the others seemed patient with her. Yzak was almost like a negative of Kira, although she couldn't exactly see Kira as a positive of Yzak…

And where Lacus had had allies, even among enemies, Frey had…well, to be quite frank, she had enemies among enemies, some noticeably worse then others.

The metal door slid open then, and though Frey hadn't meant to, her face flamed a dark shade of crimson at once as she bolted upright. "Yzak…san."

And Yzak, oh, God…he just stood there like he was actually _enjoying_ it. "Pardon, did I startle you, Frey?"

She stopped fumbling with the buttons and stared at him. _Frey. _Yzak had said her name. Not spitting it out like he had with Allster, but—really making it sound like a name. She could feel herself reddening again.

"If I did, Ido apologize." He said, without the slightest hint of sarcasm.

It was a long time before Frey found the courage to blurt out, "No! I mean, yes, I was surprised but, it's your room so…" then she clamped her mouth shut.

Yzak forced himself to step toward her. The little Natural bitch could not possibly begin to fathom how difficult it was to fake such a performance. She was only a Natural, it should be easy…

"_Yzak, as of today, I want you to become Frey Allster's lover."_ Klueze's voice echoed mockingly inside his head, as always.

Her lover…Yzak grimaced, somehow, jumping off a bridge seemed a lot more appealing, that, or maybe jumping out of the ship.

Frey tensed herself when he stopped at arm's length. What was he going to do? Glancing around the room, she saw nothing sharp, and if he really was going to hurt her…Wait, he couldn't though, he was under strict orders not to and—

Under any normal circumstance, Yzak would have been delighted to see the growing fear in her eyes, but this was hardly considered normal, he was waytoo preoccupied with his own misery to take much notice.

"Don't be afraid, Frey." The words felt like lead poisonin his mouth. Before he lost it completely, Yzak put two fingers under her chin, and kissed her.

He mentally counted to three, yet that was the longest countdown he had ever endure in his life, Yzak pulled away immediately. The whole thing was almost eerily satirical. He turned and walked out without another word.

Outside, Yzak leaned against the wall and thought about killing Klueze again and the horrible realization that he had just kissed a _girl_ on _orders_ and had the prisoner not been a Natural…he might have liked it a little too much than he should have.

&-&-&

**A/N:** Yay! They finally kissed! It's really strange, but hey, life is good, please R&R. Huggles to reviewers! (And yes, I think I'm turning into an egoistic review whore…xD)


	5. Dinner Conversations and Some Thoughts

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Gundam Seed. But I do own Lt. Edwin, only in this chapter.

**P.R. no 5**: Hey all! It's so good to be back! Finally pulled myself out of writer's block, but most likely this chapter will suck like hell. Please humor me, and thank you all ever so much for the reviews! They played a big part in helping me get back on track! Enjoy chapter 5, hopefully.

&-&-&

After the metal door slid shut. Frey touched a hand almost timidly to her lips.

He had actually kissed her. Yzak Joule had actually _kissed_ her.

It wasn't the first time she'd been kissed. Sai had kissed her once or twice. And even Tolle had accidentally kissed her once. And of course, Kira had kissed her, or rather, she'd kissed Kira, but it was almost the same thing.

But this…this was Yzak that was the problem here. This damnable, caustic, satanic…

Frey Allster, to put it quite bluntly, hated Yzak Joule, this haughty, uptight Coordinator assigned to be her guard. She had thought, at least to this day, that he'd returned her feelings likewise.

But no. They were alone then. He could have done anything else. He could have choked her, raped her, evenkilled her, and yet…he chose…of all things…to kiss her.

Just when you thought you had everything figured out. Frey raked a hand savagely through her hair, taking a closer look at the dark crimson tresses caught between her fingers, she was appalled by the number of split ends she saw.

Glad for a change in focus, she rummaged through the enormous leathersuitcase her captors had left her and found a comb. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Frey untangled her hair with exaggerated fervor. But after she got tired, she imagined hands untangling them. They were too calloused to be Kira's hands and Kira's hands were gentler than that.

Oh. God. What the hell was she thinking? Frey threw the comb down and flopped down on the bed. What the hell was she thinking? It was just Yzak. Yzak was a Coordinator, and an asshole on top of all that. He was supposed to hate her. She was supposed to hate him. And she did. And she thought he did.

But it was just a kiss. Frey brushed a hand by her lips again. It was hardly important. Back in the old days, when school and rivals and crushes were part of life. A kiss was just a kiss. This wasn't the old days though. And something told her that Yzak wasn't the type to kiss someone just for the sake of kissing her. No matter how cruel he acted…

That aside, why the hell did she imagine his hands? Instead of Kira's, or Sai's? When Frey didn't even have the slightest clue what Yzak Joule's hands were like?

"I hate this." she spoke, for the first time after his departure. "I hate this, Kira. Why did you let them take me? Where were you?"

Silence answered her. Which was supremely strange, usually, the Kira within her conscience spoke to her. This time, Frey heard nothing. Only her own ragged breathing, and the dull tick-tock of Yzak's alarm clock.

An urgent series of knocks interrupted her thoughts. "Who is it?" Frey asked, looking frantically around the room for some sort of sharp object to defend herself with, it was quickly becoming a habit.

"Lt. Edwin, Miss Allster." Came the reply, "Captain Kleuze requests your company for the upcoming meal. I'm to escort you."

Frey let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. "…Oh. A minute, please."

"Certainly, miss."

She rummaged through the suitcase and dug out a fresh ZAFT uniform. She looked at it with disdain. But to make it through all this, she had no choice. Frey put it on and opened the door.

Lt. Edwin was about a head taller than she was with sea-gray eyes and shoulder-length white-blonde hair. Frey looked down at her feet and tried to hide her blush. "Err…hi."

He laughed easily and offered his arm. "Hi, yourself. If you don't mind me saying, Miss Allster, Joule-san is one lucky bastard. Should we go?"

Her response was to blush harder and slid her arm shyly through his. "I suppose."

Unfortunately, they had not too far to go. Edwin guided her down the corridor and stopped at the last door on the right. He rapped on the metal smartly with his knuckles. "Captain Kleuze, sir, I have brought Miss Allster."

"Send her in, please, Lieutenant." Came the smooth answer. "If you would be ever so kind, please collect Yzak Joule as well and bring him here. He should be somewhere in the shooting range."

"Yes, sir." Edwin snapped a salute, though the metal wasn't see-through. Frey stifled a giggle. He turned to her, "Well, that's that." Edwin said firmly, "In you go, miss, and good luck to you."

And Frey was once again left alone. The door slipped open at her touch, and uttering a silent prayer (her first in who knew how long), Frey went in.

&-&-&

"Captain Kleuze wants you, Joule-san."

Yzak turned, with the training rifle still in one hand. The guy Kleuze had sent was also a lieutenant like himself, but judging by the uniform the other wore; Yzak could see that the guy didn't pilot mobile suits. "What for?" He snapped.

"Much apologies, Joule-san, Captain didn't say."

Yzak turned back to the screen and fired off his last round. Throwing the gun and earphones aside. "He didn't?"

"Uh, no…" Yzak could see the other starting to get nervous, nervous enough to add, "…sir. I didn't think it necessary to ask. I was ordered by Captain to escort Miss Allster to his quarters before I was to come and bring you." His voice was slightly shaky.

Yzak wasn't surprised. With the exception of Dearka and Kleuze, he was actually one of the more unpopular pilots aboard the ship, his abilities aside, most likely because of his temper. "…I see." He nodded curtly, "I will be there shortly. You may go."

He didn't miss the look of relief that spread all at once through the poor Lieutenant's features as he ran off.

&-&-&

"Please, have a seat, Miss Allster." The blonde, masked man sitting in one of the plush armchairs said. "Or may I call you Frey?"

Having little choice, Frey sat down. "Whichever you prefer…sir, I mean…"

"Come now, Frey, no need to be so frightened." He was smirking at her, unlike Yzak's smirk, which infuriated her to no end, Captain Kleuze's smirk chilled her to the bone, "I will not hurt you. But before I discuss some things with you, why don't we eat?"

Now that he mentioned it, Frey became mesmerized by the variety of foods on the table. The Archangel's mealtimes were nowhere near this exquisite. But she could not help asking, "This…this food isn't poisoned, is it, sir?"

He laughed, it was not that much better than his smirk. "You are quite the character, aren't you, Frey? I assure you the food placed here on this table are of the utmost quality and certainly not poisoned." So saying, he reached for one of sandwich squares and bit delicately.

Frey relaxed at that, but only a little, she was still on enemy ground here, and even though this Captain was friendly enough, he still freaked her out, she couldn't explain why.

"Are you ill, perhaps?" He asked her, with a touch of concern. "Shall I call the physician?"

"No, sir, I'm all right." To convince him, she speared a piece of ham and stuffed half of it in her mouth.

He seemed satisfied, after taking a swig from a mug, Kleuze leaned forward on his elbows and lowered his voice, "I wanted to talk to you about Yzak."

Yzak? Frey stiffened but she forced herself to smile. "If you don't mind my saying, err, Captain, Yzak-san is a bit of an asshole at times." The words slipped out on their own, she immediately cringed and cursed herself.

Instead of glaring at her or ordering her to be whipped or something of the sort, Kleuze merely chuckled, obviously amused, "Well, he's been called worse, but that's really not my point, I just wanted to ask how he is treating you. He is under orders. But I wondered if he needed a reminder."

Rather than risk another slip, Frey pursed her lips and ate another piece of ham, "He is…good to me."

"Really?" he raised a somewhat skeptical eyebrow. But he was still smirking, as if he knew something she did not.

"Oh, yes sir." Frey nodded eagerly, warming up to her story. "Yzak-san is very kind."

"That is good to hear." Kleuze said, after a decent interval of silence had passed between them. "I wasn't sure Yzak could handle this assignment at first, but from what you have told me thus far, you two seem to be getting along fairly well."

Frey suddenly had an insane urge to tell Captain Kleuze that Yzak had kissed her, but she bit her tongue so hard it bled. All that came out of her mouth was, "Yes, sir."

"But if he's out of line, you will let me know, Frey?"

Frey shuddered, Kleuze sounded almost too fatherly for her tastes, and his voice sounded just like her father's…

"Yes, sir." She said again.

That was when she heard Yzak's voice, "Captain Kleuze, sir? You sent for me."

"Keep this between us, Frey. I will protect you." Kleuze said to her. To Yzak, who was assumingly stationed outside the door, "I would like you to escort Miss Allster back to the room, please."

She would deny for a long time that it had never happened, but when she saw Yzak standing there, her heart skipped a beat. He did not look at her.

And of course he did not offer his arm like Edwin did.

But this time he waited for her, instead of marching ahead. They walked together.


	6. Wavering of Heart

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gundam Seed

**P.R. no 6: **Sorry for the short chapter, everyone! But hope you enjoy it nonetheless, cuz I really enjoyed writing it. And thanks a bunch for the reviews!

&-&-&

The faint metallic buzz of Kleuze's office door opening stopped them both in their tracks, the only difference being that Yzak turned and Frey didn't. "Captain?"

Kleuze was standing there, with his arm crossed, wearing something that resembled a smirk but not quite. "Yzak, a word with you, if Miss Allster would kindly wait where she is. It will only take a minute."

Yzak turned back to the hostage, who shrugged, and he shrugged back, saying merely, "I'll be back." And followed Kleuze in.

Once they were in the privacy of the office again, Kleuze took a seat at his desk. "I have both good news, and bad news, do take a seat, Yzak."

Yzak tentatively perched on the armchair of the silk couch opposite the desk, if he didn't know any better; he'd say that his commanding officer was a crazy antiques dealer. "I'm listening, Captain."

The blonde man took his time, placing both of his elbows carefully on the desk, as to not disturb the stacks of papers and whatnotlying about. "I dined with Miss Allster, while you were training. I learned some things. I just thought I'd share them with you, as the information might be of some use."

"…I'm listening." Yzak said again, between gritted teeth, because he couldn't think of anything else. In addition to being an absolute bastard, Kleuze just had to talk like a hotshot professor, something he obviously was not. "But you can give me the bad news first."

"…Bad news?" At first, Kleuze seemed perplexed, then all at once the smirk was back, "Oh, yes, I did say I had bad news didn't I?" clearing his throat, "It appears that the legged ship's current movements are getting more suspicious than ever. We have to crush them quick. So I'm tightening the schedule. I expect a full report back on my desk a week from now, and Miss Allster out of the way. Permanently. You understand?"

Yzak's stomach twisted itself into a knot, he gulped a little too loudly. _A week? _"A week? Captain, but…the hostage is…she's..." _A bitch and there was no where in hell...(Or heaven) that anything would..._

"Well that's the bad news." Kleuze cut inhis thoughtswith an uncharacteristic briskness, "Which brings me, fortunately, to the good news. During the dinner, despite her calling you an…ah…asshole, it's plain as day to me that Miss Allster rather…is partial to you, shall I say?"

"Is that all?" Yzak snapped. He hoped the answer was yes, because if it wasn't…well, he was going to have to do something drastic…like grab an invisible knife and murdering Kleuze with it. _You dragged me in here just to tell me **that**? _

"Yes, it is. You're dismissed." Kleuze nodded, "Yzak, I wish you the best of luck."

_You goddamn bastard. _But what came out of his mouth was ultimately, "I'd appreciate that, sir." Maybe he wasn't that bad at all the acting business after all, but still…a week. It was ridiculous, insane.

Had the door not been automatic, Yzak would have slammed it, but as it (so unfortunately) was not, he contented himself with stalking out instead. He didn't even bother to salute.

He thought he heard a satisfied chuckle as the door slid closed.

&-&-&

A hand touched her shoulder, "Sorry to keep you waiting." It was Yzak, "Should we go?"

Her face felt unexpectedly warm, "All right."

He led the way, and Frey followed, but this time, unlike the other times, it was different somehow, she couldn't exactly say what or why. "Yzak-san?"

"Hm?" he stopped in mid-stride, and turned.

"May I ask you a question?"

"Depends on the question." His tone, she noticed, had become so gentle all of the sudden, but still guarded.

"…Why did you…" Frey took a deep breath, determined to spit it out before she completely lost it, "…Why did you kiss me, earlier?"

She braced herself for the chilling glare, and the 'you're a goddamn stupid bitch hostage and should not ask stupid questions or else I'll kill you' lecture that was sure to come. Instead, Yzak didn't even look angry, in fact, he looked…sad? "Would you rather have me not kiss you, instead, Frey?"

Oh. Dear. God. _Does that mean…did…did he seriously… _Frey was sure her face was going to explode soon. She slid her gaze down to the marble tiles, "…I…I…didn't think it was bad." Was all she could think of to say.

Yzak merely looked at her for a second or two longer, then he squared his shoulders and started walking again.

An image of Kira floated into her mind then, which surprised her, because she hadn't thought of him in a long time, but…

Kira Yamato, caring, passionate, above all naïve. She loved this boy. Everything that he was, everything that he was not.

Yzak Joule, arrogant, passionate (in his own weird way), above all cruel. Why had she blushed so hard? And why, oh why had she expected him to answer… '**_Because…I like you?' _**

He was the guard, a Coordinator.

She was the Natural, a hostage.

That was all there was between them.

…For now, at least, not yet.


End file.
